


You Are

by gillywulf



Category: Tomb Raider & Related Fandoms, Tomb Raider (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2018-03-21 02:51:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3674685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gillywulf/pseuds/gillywulf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You are Lara Croft and you grow up just like everyone else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Are

You are five years old and hell bent on growing up to be your father.

The fire is warm and your mother is braiding your hair as you sit on the carpet. You watch your father with wide eyes as he regales you with myths, his arms flapping wildly as he speaks.

"But he flew too close to the sun and his wax wings began to melt!" You gasp. "He plummeted towards the sea and his father could only watch and cry. If he dipped any lower-"

"His wings would get wet!" You're excited that you know the end because you'd found it in a book, buried deep within the library. It feels like an extraordinary find. Like the one you now wear around your neck from father's expedition last month. You'd ruined your penguin pajamas but you'd never been so happy before. That had been the true start of your obsession. You father grins and nods.

"You're so smart. When did you get so smart?"

"I'm going to be just like you! I'm going to be an archeoligician and I'm going to marry a pretty lady like mum!" you proclaim proudly. He laughs again.

"You'll marry a pretty _boy_ , Lara" You don't like the way he says it and you scowl. He frowns slightly as if he's confused and your mother tugs gently on the braid she's just finished. You watch her, fascinated.

"She will, will she?" You don't really understand the look or the tone she uses but it sounds like she's on your side so it's good. She smiles at you with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Marry whoever you want, darling. If you are happy, then we are happy"

 

~

 

You're ten years old and your parents are dead. Probably.

It's been weeks, but Roth still doesn't know how to act and the other girls have started avoiding you. You're lonely and sad and constantly half expecting your parents to burst through the door, apologies tumbling from their lips as they promise they'll never get on a plane again. They never do.

Lunchtime is always the worst because you remember the lunches your mum would make for picnics when you were younger. Your father would always eat a few of the snack-sized sandwiches before they even made it out to the car but mum would only roll her eyes and smack him playfully on his shoulder. You wish you'd done the same.

"Is someone sitting here?" You look up in surprise to find a new face. She must be new to the school because she never got the silent memo to give you a wide berth. You don't tell her either because you're lonely. You shake your head minutely and she smiles before sitting.

It's ridiculous really how the action goes straight to your lungs and breathing becomes impossible. She's pretty and friendly and she's sitting with _you_. You don't even know her name, but you silently promise yourself that you're going to marry her.

 

~

 

You're thirteen and you've never kissed anyone.

You know it's not unusual, most of the girls in your year haven't, but you and Emily have been talking and hanging out in her room and sometimes she looks at you like you look at her. It's thrilling, but at the same time terrifying.

You still remember how your father reacted when you said you'd wanted to marry a girl and you've found in the ensuing years that he wasn't the only one who was hesitant about it. So you kept it quiet. But you forget about when Emily dives over you and her fingers poke and prod at your sides, sending you into a fit of giggles.

You swat at her hands, vaguely recalling the self defense lessons Roth had given you, but you would have felt bad using them now. She stops moving suddenly, and you don't remember closing your eyes, but you open them and - _oh_ \- she's really close. Her legs are on either side of your hips and your chests are nearly touching and her lips look _so_ soft.

So you kiss her. It's barely long enough for either of you to register what happened and when you pull back her eyes are wide and her face slack. You are paralyzed with the fear that it was a mistake, but she's leaning down and kissing you, and the hesitance is gone.

 

~

 

You're seventeen and the prettiest girl at the party keeps glancing at you and blushing.

You didn't really want to come to this party; there were some papers you wanted to get ahead of and there was definitely a documentary about Japan's Edo Period on the History Channel that you'd been hoping to see. But it was the anniversary of your parents' disappearance and they were the last thing you wanted to think about. The cheap beer in your cup was growing warm in the heat of the cellar.

You've been leaning against the wall staring off into space for the past fifteen minutes when she descends the stairs. Her eyes immediately latch on to yours and her foot misses a step, causing her to tumble right into a boy standing at the foot of the stairs. He looks like he's just won the lottery and turns on the charm, offering assistance, a drink, and his company. You won't admit you're a little bit jealous of him, so you take a frustrated sip from your cup.

A few people toss you drunken pleasantries as they pass by, but none stay long enough for an actual conversation until the clumsy, blushing, beautiful girl finally gathers up the nerve to come over to you. She smiles and for a moment you're confused that she's even acknowledging your existence.

"Hi. I'm Kate" she holds out a hand and you take it.

"Lara. That was quite an entrance you made earlier" you comment with a casual sip. Your heart is beating too loud. She blushes again and dips her head to hide her embarrassment. If someone asked you at that moment, you'd have a hard time denying how endearing you found it.

"Yeah, that was mortifying, wasn't it? It's just, I saw you and my whole mind went blank. That sounds barmy, I know, but you are stunning" she smiles shyly at you. For moment, the statement doesn't register. Every other time you have ever talked to a girl with romantic intentions, you were the one to initiate. It catches you completely off guard that someone else has approached you. You flush even more than Kate.

"Oh, er, thank you. To be completely honest, I was thinking that about you" The look she gives you sends shivers up your spine and promises that you won't go home alone tonight.

 

~

 

You're eighteen and utterly confused by the question being asked you.

University is large and homey and you're already completely in love with it even though it's only been two weeks. Roth laughed when you said so over the phone, but you know he's happy. He always worries when you go somewhere alone.

The library is heart-stoppingly large and full of all the topics you want most to read about. You chose one almost at random - you knew you'd like it, whatever it was - and found a nice spot outside to read. The English weather had given way to a bright sun and you were going to take advantage of it no matter what. With your notes sprawled out on the ground and your pencil between your teeth for easy note taking, you're quickly absorbed. But then the question comes.

"Mind if I shoot you?" Your head whips up and you're ready for a fight until you see a girl with a camera.

"Excuse me?" you try to say, but the pencil gets in the way. She smiles at you like you're hard of hearing and holds up the camera.

"Your picture silly" You feel your face grow hot and you explain to her that no, you don't like your picture taken. You always look awkward and depressed in them. But instead of leaving, she sits down next to you, eyeing your Jaffa cakes.

"Make you a deal, give me one of those and I'll put the camera away. For _now_ " she offers smirking. It's on the tip of your tongue to lash out in your confusion, but you roll your eyes and let her. She smiles again and holds out her hand. "I'm Sam, Sam Nishimura. Wanna go dancing?" It's the weirdest start to a friendship you've ever had.

 

~

 

You're twenty and you're in love.

You still don't know how it happened. One day you just looked at Sam, and suddenly it was like she was the brightest thing in the room. She wasn't like Emily or Kate and you don't know how you hadn't seen it before. She was pointing at the computer screen resting on both of your legs as a film played.

Her favorite pastime was spotting continuity errors and easily fixable issues. You just liked watching the movies with her. But now the movie could be off for all you noticed. Her skin looked too touchable, her eyes too shining, her lips- well, her lips. You chewed on your lower lip and stared blankly at the screen for the rest of the movie.

Even now as Sam makes a smoothie in the kitchen you're distracted. This might be the most important proposal you've ever written, but Sam has music on in the kitchen. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but she's _dancing_. Her hips are swaying hypnotically and her shoulders are moving in time with the beat.

Your paper disappears as you watch because yes, you'd like to touch her, but you don't mind the distance. You like being with Sam more than you like being without her. It's not the first time you've liked a straight girl, but it's the first time you're willing to put off others because of it.

She catches sight of you from the corner of her eye and she turns, grinning. You watch her dance over to you and grab your hands.

"Dance with me" You were never going to say no.

 

~

 

You're twenty-one and a survivor. Or a murder. You're still figuring which is more accurate.

Sam likes to say survivor, sometimes even savior. Those are generally reserved for nights where the two of you are curled up together in bed, fighting away the nightmares. She touches your skin with an aching tenderness, her fingers brushing over the healing wounds that will become scars. You always keep a firm hand on her waist. The last time you let her go, it was almost impossible to get her back. You don't want to have to go through that again. You thought your love for her might wane after something like Yamatai, but those nights cause your feelings to rise up into your throat and choke you with emotion. It's a little overwhelming. Her hand is combing through your hair and it feels good so you lean into it with a sigh and close your eyes. You want this forever. You almost feel like you deserve it after everything.

"I don't know what I'd do without you" she says quietly. You don't know what you'd do without _her_.

"I don't want to find out" you reply. She presses herself closer into you so that you can feel each individual breath she pulls. Proof of life.

"I love you," she says suddenly. Your whole body freezes because _what_? "I just wanted to say that. I almost didn't get the chance before- before" Her face is turned down away from yours, still buried in your chest. You want to see her face, see how much she means it. But Sam doesn't joke about love. She never has. Her family is complicated and she never wanted to add to it, she's told you that. So she means it. Warmth floods through your body and you kiss the top of her head.

"I love you too" Her lips curl into a smile against your skin and you pull her in a bit closer.


End file.
